This book is definitely a fast read but a very pleasant one. In my opinion, I sometimes felt that the characters were not as strong which makes the reader not as attached to the story. Even tho it is a bit obvious what the ending would be I can say that there is a small part that I did not see coming in the end. I think the ending, literally the last couple of pages, were so strong that it closed the book incredibly good. I was lacking something throughout the whole plot and while I was reading it I keep searching for that something...and let me tell you the ending was great and brought that something. The last couple of pages make the story come alive and feel so personal. I do recommend it because it is a fast read, entertaining, and with a good ending. It might seem slow or that it might be missing something but stick with it and the ending won't let you down.

Margaret says yes to a proposal based on other alternative being available to her. Fifteen years later, she has an opportunity to partake in her aspirations using a secret identity. She is able to do this and sees no way to escape. So, she has to decide whether to come clean or to continue living the secret identity. I found the struggles of Margaret to be relatable, as many women question the paths their lives have taken once they reach middle age. The author captured the emotional journey of Margaret realistically and beautifully.

I really struggled with this book. Even from the get go I found it hard to attach to any of the characters and found them 2d and pathetic. From seeing these reviews I am glad that others feel the same.

I was kindly given an arc of this book by netgalley for my honest opinion in return.
I restarted this book 3 times but each time I just wasnt feeling it and ended up putting it down and not reaching for it for days.
I found the story lacked depth or something. I would rate this book 1 star but will continue to try another time to finish.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the novel and the story line. I felt that the characters accepted disappointment in life unrealistically graciously, but it is a good novel.

The parts of this book that really drew me in when I read the description was the double life idea of a housewife that had felt bored and trapped with her life. I loved that idea and I think I might have formed expectations based on the plot that set me up to be disappointed.

For such an interesting plot, I felt like the Margaret's character felt unexciting and flat. The writing didn't pop the way I had assumed it would and while I read this quite quickly, the plot was a lot more unexciting than I expected it to be. I just felt kind of unmoved by the whole book. I would still read more from this author, but this was just not for me!

This was a bit of a disappointing read. I was drawn in by the premise, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. There seemed to be a lack of detail and emotion and I didn't really connect with any of the characters.

A great read. A story about missed opportunities and what “could have been” It was a book to get lost in.

This book was ok. And sadly, books that are ok aren’t really ok.
The novel lacked depth, especially in the characterisation, lacked direction in that it jumped around especially through time without seemingly any rhyme or reason and it felt unsettling to the narrative. It also lacked pace; mostly slow but at the end throwing everything but the kitchen sink into the last 20% of the book. I saw the end coming and was willing it not to be so predictable. Alas, it was completely predictable.
I finished all of the novel but didn’t find myself picking my kindle up throughout the day because I wanted to read on nor did it keep me up at night the hallmarks of a great read.

I'm sorry, but this was... bad. There wasn't a single thing about this book that I enjoyed. The writing lacked both energy and emotion, and absolutely everything was told rather than shown. I never felt anything for Margaret, because as a reader, I wasn't allowed to get to know her myself. I'm told I have to like her, because she's such a nice person, she's so smart and she loves literature. We're told this, but never shown it. At one point, a character says of Margaret: "She always knows everything about anything." Like, okay. But the only time we're ever shown that Margaret knows something is when she tries to impress her professor by being like, hey, did you know George Eliot was a ... wait for it ... woman? Like, damn! How did Margaret know this amazing fact? Can it be because she's the most talented writer ever? Because she just loves literature so much? Only TRUE readers know about George Eliot and that's a fact.

The other characters were extremely bland as well and I didn't care for any of them. I can't tell you anything about William, Margaret's husband, except that he sometimes works in France and is just really sick of his wife reading so much? Their kids, like who? I can name Charles, but only because the book ends with him. He's really into computers. We have Vince, the woman Margaret sleeps with once and then is in love with for 15 years after. He's really into boats and screenwriting, I guess. He wears V-necks and khakis all the time. Then there's Charlene, the woman Margaret trades places with, who has several chapters despite not really being in the story? Anyway, I'll admit to skimming her chapters, but I think she's a drunk? And then there's Linda, Margaret's best friend for like half of her life, who is a straight up bitch. And she's ugly, goddamn. I know this, because the author tells me whenever we see her. "She's aging really badly, because she's such a bitch. You can see the bitchiness in her sagging skin."

I do think the worst character is Margaret herself. She's a ridiculous pushover, and I do not get why she hung out with Linda so much, because she obviously thought her a bitch. But oh well, we need Linda to create some semblance of drama in this story. But yeah, Margaret apparently had no agency throughout this story and just went with whatever people told her to do. Marry me, Margaret, drop out of school, Margaret, sign up for screenwriting classes, Margaret, sleep with me, Margaret, take this job, Margaret, stop working again, Margaret. And worse, despite the blurb for the book saying that Margaret must make a choice between her dull life with her dull husband and a man she barely knows, I don't think she actually made the choice herself. She only decided to leave her old life behind because her husband made the choice to ultimately divorce her, leaving her free to finally do something.

So yeah, I wasn't impressed with this at all. Margaret was a meek little mouse, but a beautiful and extremely talented little mouse that deserved more from life than a decent husband, a decent set of kids and a decent house. By the end, she somehow ends up publishing her life's story and as someone who just read her life's story, I have no idea why that is. Maybe if the author had allowed the affair between Vince and Margaret to breathe a little. But it's over so quickly. One moment they're smiling at each other for the first time and discussing George Eliot (I say discuss, but Margaret says one sentence and Vince makes googly eyes at her), then they're drinking tea at his place ("Green tea or Earl Grey, Margaret?" "Ooooh, you know so much about tea"), then they kiss and it fades to black. Margaret wakes up, Vince is gone, Margaret is preggo. It's so short and there's no emotion. I didn't care.

One more thing that I'd like to point out is that none of the characters sounded real. All the dialogue sounded so fictional. Again, no true emotions, no true reactions. Also, and this is just nitpicking, there's just something weird about a story where every woman but the main character is wrong in some way, be it their clothes, their looks, their lives. As if life is just one big contest between women and Margaret is the obvious winner.

e-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story chronicles the life of Margaret Wilcox Hill, a woman who has recently found herself feeling trapped by the every day monotony of her life as a homemaker. She was married at a very young age (only 17!) and found that, for the most part, she has been playing her assigned role in her husband’s life as opposed to playing the lead in her own.

I found this story to be a very lighthearted read, which is a welcome distraction these days. The prose was quick and snappy, with memorable quotes scattered throughout. The story itself was a very real take on what it means to be a mother and a housewife all while feeling like you’re fading into the background. I really enjoyed Margaret, I thought she was incredibly interesting and familiar in a way that made me feel like I had known her for years. Admittedly, it was a bit cliché (which is not always a bad thing), but I was very pleased with the ending and the general pace and structure of this book, although I did find a few editing and continuity issues.

The process of reading this story was enjoyable, as it didn’t elicit any exhausting emotions or reactions from me, although I was glued to the metaphorical “pages” these past few days. It was interesting enough to make you want to continue reading, but light enough to really feel like you were taking a break. Very fast read that will be great for summer vacations or long weekends!

Keep an eye on the shelves for when this debuts in mid-August!

This was a quick and easy read and I got through it in a couple of sittings. Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy it, I thought the plot was unrealistic and predictable and none of the characters jumped out at me as being particularly likeable. This book just wasn't for me.

DNF at about 80% completed. I just found myself not really caring what happened, but at the same time figuring that the ending would be cliche, as the rest of the story was.

Admittedly, I did not finish this book. I can’t get into it and am not connecting with the characters after reading about 20%.

Advanced reader copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.